Monday noon Open Thread

Somehow this Monday took me by surprise. It’s not just that I haven’t written anything. I haven’t even thought anything. I have, however, exercised this morning, which is pretty impressive considering my decrepitude this past year.

The main problem with returning to working out is fear. I got into trouble because I pushed, ignoring pain. Now, I’m obsessively aware of pain, not in an “ouch!” way, but in an “Oh, my God! Am I going to disable myself again?” way. It’s hard to exercise tentatively, but I’m pushing forward (just not too hard or fast).

You may want to check out Kurt Schlichter’s brilliant rant on what the conspiracy (of those wielding power) to shut up America’s conservatives could very well lead to:

“(T)his cynical establishment strategy risks changing our system from one defined by rules into one defined by raw power. Thuggery can work for a little while, but eventually people get fed up. Conservatives are actively marginalized, socially and politically, but is it realistic to think we will simply throw in the towel and obey? Destroying our political norms won’t silence the establishment’s foes; it will radicalize them.

“Your opponents are not going to play by the rulebook you’ve just thrown out.

“Is that what you establishment types want? What goes around comes around – hard. Europe’s elite’s similar disenfranchisement strategy is giving rise to nontraditional parties, both sensible ones like UKIP and scary ones like Greece’s Golden Dawn. When you make a conscious decision to deprive people of their voices, you may not like who they choose to speak for them.”